An influential stakeholder in the TasWater takeover debate has expressed “dismay” at the prospect of councils using ratepayers’ money to fight the government’s plan.

It was in May that Local Government Association of Tasmania president Doug Chipman wrote to councils with the $200,000 request, asking them to sacrifice one per cent of their annual TasWater dividends.

Tasmania’s 29 councils own water and sewerage provider TasWater, but the state government intends to seize control of the company.

The government has said this will result in cheaper water and sewerage bills and the expedition of sorely-needed infrastructure upgrades.

The Property Council of Australia’s Tasmanian executive director Brian Wightman has spoken out against LGAT’s request.

“A campaign war chest, to fight improvement, paid for by rate payers is completely inappropriate,” he said.

“If councils have additional funds to spend, they should be committed immediately to infrastructure improvement.

“Arbitration, legal fees, media spin and pet projects are where the dividends have been spent rather than providing clean drinking water to 30 towns across Tasmania or addressing sewer outflows at seven times the national average.”

Mr Wightman said jobs and investment would “flow” in parts of the state if the infrastructure was upgraded.

“If councils … believe it’s more important to fund a media campaign then they are seriously out of touch,” he said.

Mr Wightman suggested the lack of adequate water and sewerage infrastructure in Tasmania highlighted a “legacy of council neglect”.

In Parliament on Thursday, the Opposition called on the government to provide the legal advice it had received regarding the proposed takeover.

Labor local government spokeswoman Madeleine Ogilvie asked Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein whether his “secrecy” would continue.

Mr Gutwein stressed that the government had received a “range” of advice, including from the Solicitor-General and the state’s economic regulator.